Private Chen was also the only Asian American solider at this particular boot camp and investigations have showed that he was targeted from the start of his time at the boot camp.
To read the article go to: http://www.jdjournal.com/2012/01/16/asian-american-soldier-commits-suicide-after-being-forced-to-crawl-across-gravel/
Do you think that at these types of boot camps they should be more integrated as far as who is in them, so an equal number of one race and an equal number of the other and why? Do you think that Private Chen's suicide should even be considered a racial issue?
I think that it would be a great idea to have more diverse boot camps, especially in these kinds of situations. I believe that if there were more Asian-Americans at this boot camp, they would have most likely stood up for their fellow soldier. More diversity would encourage acceptance among the soldiers, and Chen might not have committed suicide. One thing I do not think should happen is if they start trying to recruit certain minority races, because that would be unfair to the majority race as they would not be getting equal opportunities. I definitely think that Chen's suicide was a racial issue, and it may not have been only racial discrimination that led Chen to take his own life, but it seems extremely likely that it played a serious role in his decision. I think that more Asian-American troops could have helped him with what he was dealing with, as many would feel comforted by listening to someone of their own race talk to them about discrimination. Overall, I think that certain troops should be moved to boot camps lacking in diversity as it can prevent racial hate and suicides. I also believe that Chen's death should be regarded as a racial issue because it was most likely a contributing factor in his suicide.
ReplyDeleteI agree with David. I think if that boot camps were more diverse, individuals would feel less isolated. I am not positive on whether or not I think Chen killed himself because he was not racially represented or if it was solely due to the way he was treated. In that situation, someone who is different from the majority of the people around them, as in race in this example, they are targeted. I think that if boot camps were were more diverse the treatment that Chen endured would not be as common.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think these types of bootcamps should be more integrated. If there were equal amounts of people from all different nationalities, there would be much less discrimination because not just one person would be targeted because they are the only one of that nationality. It would be strength in numbers and I think it would decrease racial discrimination in the boot camps.
ReplyDeleteYes, I do think Private Chen's suicide should be considered a racial issue because the only reason these things were done to him was the fact that he was an Asian-American. Also, the article said he was discriminated against from the beginning which also shows that this is in fact a racial issue.
I think that it would be better if the boot camps were more integrated, but it is not necessary to force them to be. I completely agree with David’s idea that the government should not try to boost the minority by discriminating against the majority. I think that this would not only upset people but it would also not solve discrimination problems that our nation is facing because even though that would be discriminating against the majority, it is still a form of discrimination. Also I agree with Laura about Chen’s death because I am not sure if it was entirely due to the discrimination that he faced or if there were other contributing factors that resulted in him committing suicide. Even if there were other factors that promoted him to do this, it is still not fair that he had to be treated in such a cruel way. Our constitution states “All men are created equally”, and this situation is not an accurate depiction of the US morals. I believe that a punishment should be given to those whom did not treat this man equally, even if it was not the underlying cause to his suicide.
ReplyDeleteI agree with my fellow classmates that these boot camps should be more integrated. They should have more equal amounts of people of different races. But I do not think it is possible to achieve this. It depends on how many people of different races wants to join these boot camps. The military can't control how many minorities join them. There still might be more white people joining still. But if they some how managed to make this possible, I believe it would change racial discrimination in these camps. Like David said, if there were more Asian troop members, they could have stood up for Chen and helped him through the struggle. I think it really would have changed the outcome of this situation. Also, I think this suicide should be considered a racial issue. The other people at the camp were singling him out because he was the only Asian there. Chen was forced do more physical labors than the other members. They called him racial slurs and derogatory names. They also told him to "go back to China." These are all examples of the racism being targeted at Chen. They were most likely the causes of his suicide.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with everyone else that believes that boot camps should be more integrated. The purpose of boot camp to break down the people physically and mentally that are attending. Knowing someone that went through boot camp he believed it was one of the best experiences in his life, the yelling and forcing the participants it so that they can be brought to their lowest just to be brought back up again. I feel that Private Chen’s suicide could go both ways about being a racial issue. I believe this because the goal of boot camp is to break people down; on the other hand I feel that it could because he was a minority in the camp.
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